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Distant Worlds 2
Distant Worlds 2 is a vast, pausable real-time 4X space strategy game.
In short, Steam reviewers most often praise “Deep macro-management simulation” (36 of 66 reviews); the most common complaint is “Automation undermines player control” (23). What reviewers agree on ↓
What players say
Steam review score and the most-helpful voices, which may include critical ones. Score via Steam as of 2026-09-29 · quoted reviews as of 2026-05-13.
What reviewers agree on
36 of the 66 reviews raise this.
“I don't know why people hate this game so much. Maybe it has this bad rating for historic reasons: was it in a much worse state before? Today It's everything I could desire from a 4X game. It's orders of magnitude…”
“I honestly don't know why I addicted so much to this game, even since the first part. Yes, the UI is a clumsy mess, but beyond it lies a living, breathing galaxy full of struggle, plotting and planning, empires rising…”
“This feels like a distant shimmer of the original DW. I still like the game, though. While it has less depth than the first one, it’s also far more accessible. In DW1, much of the deep strategy came from controlling…”
4 of the 66 reviews raise this.
“This feels like a distant shimmer of the original DW. I still like the game, though. While it has less depth than the first one, it’s also far more accessible. In DW1, much of the deep strategy came from controlling…”
“In Distant Worlds Universe, the game offered deep learning curve, something unique. In Distant Worlds 2, expanding on this foundation by giving each race a distinctive identity feels like the right direction for the…”
23 of the 66 reviews raise this · 6 of them still recommend the game.
16 of the 66 reviews raise this · 5 of them still recommend the game.
“I honestly don't know why I addicted so much to this game, even since the first part. Yes, the UI is a clumsy mess, but beyond it lies a living, breathing galaxy full of struggle, plotting and planning, empires rising…”
14 of the 66 reviews raise this · 7 of them still recommend the game.
“Very good strategy game. Doesn't try and script the outcomes of your choices, which makes it a superior game, but makes the difficulty rather unpredictable. Other people complain about the automation, but the automation…”
9 of the 66 reviews raise this · 2 of them still recommend the game.
3 of the 66 reviews raise this · 1 of them still recommend the game.
Counted across 66 English reviews, sampled to match this game's 71.3% positive rating · as of 2026-05-13
“This game has a definition problem. Many reviewers look at it and compare it to other strategy, 4X, or grand strategy games—but that would be incorrect. It’s like reviewing an FPS as if it were a medieval RPG; the comparison will never align. Distant Worlds 2 is trying to be a…”
— a player, Steam review · 128 hrs played“The game over all is good and is worth picking up on a Sale's. This game feels like a blend of a Stellaris and Sins of a Solar Empire. If anything I'm almost tempted to say its better in some areas. The final execution however makes it fall short of the other games. The game…”
— a player, Steam review · 2 hrs played“In the mid-90's there was a game called Stars! published by Empire Interactive, it was one of the first computer games I played. My friend introduced me to it in the 5th grade. This is the game that young me fantasized Stars! to be, but 30 years later that isn't enough. I want…”
— a player, Steam review · 797 hrs playedPlayer activity
Monthly average concurrent players. Live data self-collected from the Steam API · history through 2026-06 via SteamCharts.
Price tracking
US-region pricing (USD), sampled twice daily by our own tracker since 2026-07-11. Steam prices vary by region — always confirm your local price on Steam.
Regional prices at last sample, in local currency — Steam sets each region's price independently.
Cheapest → most expensive, converted to USD at ECB reference rates (2026-10-20). Relative comparison only.
Latest official news
Developer announcements via the Steam news API — links go to the original posts. More across all games on the news hub.
Distant Worlds 2: Shadows Rising is out now
Shadows Rising is available today on Steam, and it puts you on the other side of the law. Go it alone in Lone Pirate Mode, with one ship and no one to answer to. Build a Pirate Empire from nothing.Est
Dev Diary #4 – Improvements to Standard Empire Gameplay
While the Shadows Rising expansion focusses a lot on pirates there are also many additions and improvements that relate to standard empire gameplay. In Shadows Rising, your interaction with independen
Regular Update now available
A new Distant Worlds 2 is now live, bringing a range of gameplay improvements, new options, balance changes and stability fixes. Key Update Highlights : • Independent Colonies can now become full empi
Dev Diary #3 – Lone Pirate
The Shadows Rising expansion for Distant Worlds 2 introduces a completely new game mode: Lone Pirate. Simple trading of in-demand resources across the galaxy Action-packed raiding and combat to loot a
Dev Diary #2 – Pirate Factions
See our second dev diary for an explanation of Pirate Factions, the Age of Shadows, and their unique gameplay. What are Pirate Factions? Pirate Factions in Distant Worlds 2: Shadows Rising are space-b
Games like Distant Worlds 2
From our knowledge graph — ranked by shared traits, not a black box. Each card says why it's here.
NEBULOUS: Fleet Command
81.2% · 3,365 reviews
shares Real Time With Pause, 4x, Grand Strategy, Procedural Generation
Terra Invicta
82.8% · 6,719 reviews
shares Real Time With Pause, 4x, Grand Strategy, Economy
Manor Lords
87.3% · 42,755 reviews
shares Real Time With Pause, 4x, Grand Strategy, Economy
AI War: Fleet Command
84.4% · 1,225 reviews
shares Real Time With Pause, 4x, Grand Strategy, RTS
Distant Worlds: Universe
74.4% · 1,499 reviews
shares Real Time With Pause, 4x, Grand Strategy, RTS
Stellaris
85.9% · 105,301 reviews
shares Real Time With Pause, 4x, Grand Strategy, Procedural Generation
Sins of a Solar Empire®: Rebellion
94.3% · 11,055 reviews
shares 4x, Grand Strategy, RTS, Space
Empires of the Undergrowth
95.3% · 10,912 reviews
shares Real Time With Pause, 4x, Grand Strategy, Economy
Screenshots
Official Steam store screenshots — click any shot to enlarge.
Facts & details
From the Steam store record, snapshot 2026-05-13.
| Genres | Simulation, Strategy |
| Player tags | Strategy · Simulation · 4X · Grand Strategy · Space · Sci-fi · 3D · Singleplayer · Procedural Generation · Combat · Early Access · Real-Time with Pause (SteamSpy community voting) |
| Features | Single-player · Family Sharing |
| Languages | English * * |
Minimum system requirements (PC)
Minimum: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system OS *: Windows 10 (64-bit only) and 11 (64-bit only) (The game will run on Windows 7 and 8, but these operating systems are not officially supported) Processor: 4+ Physical Core CPU @ 2.5GHz (e.g. Intel: Core i3-8100, Core i5-750, Core i7-920 / AMD: Athlon 64 FX-8100, Athlon II X4, Phenom X4, Phenom II X4, Ryzen 3 1200, Ryzen 5 1400, Ryzen 7 1700) Memory: 8 GB RAM Graphics: NVidia GTX 760-equivalent or better, 2+Gb VRAM, DirectX 11 compliant DirectX: Version 11 Storage: 20 GB available space Sound Card: DirectX 11 compatible sound card A